Post-hole auger.



No. 743,445. 1 PATENTED NOV. 10, 1903. H. S. BUTLER.

POST HOLE AUGER.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 13. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Iatented November 10,1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY S. BUTLER, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

POST-HOLE AUGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,445, dated November10, 1903.

Application filed January 13, 1903. $eria1 No. 1 38.944. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I; HENRY S. BUTLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Des Moines, in the county of Folk and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Post-Hole Angers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of posthole angers having a numberof fiat blades inclined downwardly, said blades being curved inwardlyand bent torsionally at their lower ends, and when the lower ends areplaced in a post-hole and the blades are rotated they will cut into theearth and the space between the blades will be filled with the earth,which will be retained between the blades when the anger is elevated outof the hole.

My object is to provide an anger of this class of simple, durable, andinexpensive construction in which one or more of the blades may be movedlaterally to stand imposition nection it is my object more specificallyto pro-.

vide a device of this class in which the movable blade or blades mayberotated relative to the stationary ones as required to dump thecontents without the necessity of the operator touching any of theblades or releasing his hold upon the handle. In other words, the devicemay be drawn from the post-hole full of earth and placed on top of thegroundsurface, and then by turning the handle the movable blade orblades may be placed in position adjacent to the stationary one and theearth contained between the blades will drop out. fingers by touchingthe'blades.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out Hence the operator need not soil his in my claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows aside elevation of the complete device ready for use. Fig. 2 shows asimilar view with the movable blades in position adjacent to thestationary ones. Fig. 3 shows a detail perspective view of the lowerdisk to which the movable blades are attached, showing a portion of oneof the blades in position. Fig. 4 shows a detail perspective View, in aninverted position, of the upper plate, to

which the stationary blades are attached,

showing a portion of one of the blades in position. Fig. 5 shows anenlarged detail vertical sectional view of a portion of the handle withthe fixed and movable plates connected therewith and portions of theblades connected with the plates, and Fig. 6 shows a horizontalsectional view through the indicated line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used thereference-numeral 10 to indicate the handle portion, which is preferablymade of a straight piece of gas-pipe having at its top a cross-head 11.

The upper plate is indicated by the reference-numeral 12 and is providedon its upper face with a socket 18 and on its lower face with adownwardly-projecting rim 14. This rim is provided at diametricallyopposite points with notches 15, and the lugs 16 are formed on the underface at the edges of the saidnotches, and radial slots 17 are formed inthe plate between the lugs 16. Two blades 18 are connected with theupper plate 12 by being inserted between the notches 15 and betweenthe'lugs 16, and they are held in place and made adjustable by the bolts19, passing through the blades and through the slots 17. The blades 18project horizontally outward a slight distance beyond the edge of plate12 and then straight downwardly, and their inner ends are'curvedinwardly and bent torsionally in the ordinary'way,

The lower plate 20 is provided at its central portion with anupwardly-projecting journal 21, having a horizontal slot 22 near itsupper end for purposes hereinafter made clear. On

the upper surface of the plate 20, near its periphery, is a rim 23,having on diametrically opposite sides the notches 24 and lugs the upperplate and the handle.

25, and between each pair of the lugs is a radial slot 26. Two blades 27are passed through the notches 24 and secured to the plate by bolts 28,so that the blades may be adjusted radially relative to the blade. Theseblades 27 are similar to the blades 18, before described. The rims 14and 23 are preferably of the same diameter, so that when the plates areplaced together dust and earth cannot enter between the plates.

I have provided for connecting the plates and the handle by placing abolt 29 through an opening in the socket 13, through an opening in pipe10, and through the slot 22 in journal 21. By this means I rigidlyconnect the upper plate to the handle and permit the lower plate torotate to a limited extent relative to the upper plate and to thehandle. Obviously the upper and lower plates may each be cast completein one piece ready for use, and by providing a structure of these platespermitting them to be connected by a single bolt it is obvious that thecost of manufacture is reduced to a minimum.

In practical use the parts are assembled as follows: First, the bladesare attached to their respective plates by means of the bolts, and theblades may obviously be set to any desirable distance from the center,thus providing for forming post-holes of different diameters. Then theupper plate and the handle are connected, and finally the journal of thelower plate is inserted in the handle and the bolt 24=is passed throughthe socket, handle, and journal, thereby firmly connecting the handleand socket and also holding the lower plate against .the upper plate,but permitting a limited rotary movement of the lower plate relative toThe slot 22 is so shaped and arranged that when the auger is placed in apost-hole and the handle turned as required for digging the blades onthe lower or movable plate will be stopped by the bolt 24 in the slot 22when the blades are at points midway between the blades of the upper orstationary plate. A continued rotation of the handle will cause thespace between the blades to be filled with earth. Then the operatordraws the auger from the posthole and places it upon the ground-surfaceat the side of the post-hole. He then turns the handle in a directionopposite from that required for boring, and the blades fixed to themovable plate resting upon the groundsurface cannot turn, so that theblades fixed to the stationary platethat is, to the plate attached tothe handlewill move relative to the loose blades resting on the ground,thus bringing the blades close together, but providing wide openingsbetween the blades,

through which the contained earth may pass.

Then when the anger is again placed in the post-hole and turned in thedirection required for boring the blades on the lower plate will be heldstationary in the post-hole until when the handle is turned the bladeson the upper plate will turn to position at right angles to the otherblade before boring commences, and they will stand in this positionthroughout the entire operation or until the space between the blades isfilled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

1. In a post-hole anger, the combination of a number of stationaryblades and a blade movable laterally toward one of the stationary ones.

2. In a post-hole auger, a number ofstationary blades spaced apart, ablade movable from a position adjacent to one of the stationary bladesto a position spaced apart equally from the adjacent stationary blades.

3. The combination of a number of blades coacting to form an auger, oneof said blades movable laterally toward its adjacent blade to form anopening through which the contents of the auger may discharge. I

4. In a post-hole-auger, the combination of a handle, a number ofbladesfixed to the handie, and a blade rotatable relative to the handle.

5. In a post-hole auger, the combination of a handle, a number ofstationary blades fixed to the plate, and a. blade rotatable relative tothe fixed blades.

6. In a post-hole anger, the combination of a handle, a plate fixed tothe handle, blades fixed to said plate, a second plate rotatably mountedon the handle, and a blade fixed to the rotatable plate.

7. In a post-hole auger, the combination of a handle, a plate fixed tothe handle, blades fixed to the plate at points diametrically opposite,a second plate rotatably mounted on the handle, and blades fixed to thesecond plate at diametrically opposite points. 8. In a post-hole auger,the combination of a handle, a plate fixed to the handle, blades fixedto the plate at points diametrically opposite, a second plate rotatablymounted on the handle, blades fixed to the second plate at diametricallyopposite points, and means for limiting the movement of the platesrelative to each other.

9. In a post-hole auger, the combination of a handle, an upper platefixed to the handle,

blades secured to the under surface of the upper plate, a lower platehaving a journal thereon passed upwardly through the handle and throughthe upper plate, blades fixed to the top surface of the lower plate, andmeans Hi. a. r V V p dle, an upper plate having a socket at its top toreceive the hollow handle, a downwardlyprojecting rim on the undersurface of the plate having notches therein, blades in said notchesradially adjustable, a second plate having a journal on its top to enterthe hol- 12. In apost-hole anger, the combination of a handle, a bladefixed to the handle, and a blade rotatable on the handle, said bladeswhen in position opposite each other coacting to form an anger.

13. In a post-hole anger, the combination of a handle, a plate fixed tothe handle, ablade radially adjustable on the plate, and a bladerotatably mounted on the handle, and means for limiting the movement ofthe second blade, said blades when opposite each other coacting to forman anger.

lat. In a post-hole anger, the combination of a handle, a blade fixed tothe handle, a blade rotatable on the handle, said blades when inposition opposite each other coacting to form an auger, and means forlimiting the movement of the blades relative to each other.

HENRY S. BUTLER.

Witnesses:

J RALPH ORWIG, W. R. LANE.

